Latest Updates 2024
This is where you’ll find the latest information about what is coming to the channel. There are hints on upcoming videos, guides, status updates or important milestones. SocialBlade stats can be found here.
This website and YouTube channel is a hobby, I try to deliver deliver new content each week. However, this may not always happen and I appreciate your support and patience. As you may do as well, I work a full-time job and YouTube is a hobby and life/work schedules do impact when new content is released. Thank you for your support and checking out the latest updates!
–Jon
blogs from previous years [ 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020 & 2019]
October
- 2024-10-06 – The Galaxy RVR Mars Rover an an impressive robot allowing you to roam across difficult terrain. This rover includes a camera, 6 wheels, solar panel for charging, sonar and IR sensors and much more. See the Full Video!
- 2024-10-04 – Next video is well underway, hope to make some good progress this weekend. It is taking a lot of time to edit this one, lots of assembly steps and outdoor action will be included. Here’s a quick shot from tonight to give you a better idea of what’s coming. I must say, this is one of the coolest robots I’ve built and had a blast shooting outdoor footage with my son and his girlfriend. Short 1min. video here.
- 2024-10-01 – The month of creepy crawlies is among us! Next video will be about a cool bit of tech that doesn’t crawl, but instead rolls. I’m currently editing the assembly portion, however waiting for the weather to cooperate as I want to take a lot of outdoor footage. Hard to do when the device is loaded with electronics and the ground is soaking wet 😐 Weather permitting, it will release later this week, otherwise early next. Below is a hint as to what this might be. Believe it or not, this isn’t even the coolest part. Stay tuned!
September
- 2024-09-25 – The Pironman 5 case is like a mini gaming PC rig for your Pi 5! It has a lot of great features, including: RGB lighting effects, NVMe Adapter, OLED Status display and much more. The Pironman software has a great web-based interface for monitoring various Pi5 metrics and customizations.
- 2024-09-22 – Dropping sometime this week… Stay tuned!
2024-09-18 – The Blackview Tab 90 WiFi 11″ Tablet really impressed me. It’s running Android 14, has an 8/13MP camera and while it’s low priced, it is a great tablet. Check out the details here. - 2024-09-17 – The next video is completed and will be released in the coming days. If you’d like a sneak-peek, as a thank you for checking out the Latest Updates you can see it before anyone else! These have sold out twice since I’ve been testing it and why I’m “leaking” it here early for my VIP viewers. The video description has a link to a case that arrived today and fits the Tab 90 WiFi perfectly! The video after this one has also been started but will take a bit longer to complete. It will be released sometime next week (it’s Pi5-related and amazing!)
- 2024-09-11 – What improvements in flipper latency can you expect with the new Zen Studios updates for the AtGames Legends Pinball 4KP? In this video, we’ll compare the before and after measurements for The Addams Family as well as the latency for the Universal Classics!
- 2024-09-01 – The CrowView Note turns most any device into a laptop! In this video, we’ll Setup the CrowView Note with a Raspberry Pi 5, Samsung Galaxy S21, Steam Deck, ROG Ally and an Amazon Fire TV stick.
August
- 2024-08-29 – The next video is in production and will be a very interesting device that will allow you to add a keyboard, trackpad, display and speakers to just about any device. I started testing it a few days ago and it’s going well. I have a few more devices I want to try with it and hopefully wrap up the video over the weekend. I think you’ll really enjoy it!
- 2024-08-27 – Ever wondered how to measure the latency on your AtGames Legends Pinball 4K tables? This video will show you the basic steps along with a written guide.
- 2024-08-26 – The next video is just about ready to drop. This will be one that very interesting to those that own an AtGames Legends Pinball 4KP, will include a written guide and the first part of a mini-series that I hope you enjoy!
- 2024-08-16 – Two cool products coming in next week and more exciting stuff forthcoming. Probably won’t get much done this weekend, family coming to visit, but I’ll get done what I can. Should get interesting later next week.
- 2024-08-10 – Raspberry Pi Connect Beta allows you to easily remotely connect to your Raspberry Pi 4, Pi 5 or Pi 400. In this video, we’ll talk about how to set it up and remotely connect to our Pi 5. More information may be found on the Raspberry Pi 5 Guide.
- 2024-08-07 – A few projects are currently underway and should be informative and fun. In addition, a new product will arrive this week that I think many will find very impressive, I can’t wait to check it out and let you know more about it. Talk to you soon!
July
- 2024-07-30 – If you’re looking for a faster, more reliable storage option for your Raspberry Pi 5, the Pi 5 M.2 HAT+ NVMe drive is something to consider.
- 2024-07-28 – The next long-form video has been completed this evening. I hope to release it Tues. morning, perhaps sooner. In the process of creating this video, I found two other subjects that would make some exciting new content for the series, may take those on next.
- 2024-07-24 – The next video has been started and being edited. As you might have noticed, my new job requires much of my time. As a result, I have less time to dedicate to YouTube. I have lots of exciting projects planned, some already in the works but the timing of content releases will vary in the short-term. Thank you for all your words of support and encouragement in the new position, you guys make it all worth it!
- 2024-07-13 – Every now and then we find a gadget that really speaks to us. In today’s video we can take that literally with Zoltar Speaks by New Wave Toys!
- 2024-07-06 – Zoltar from New Wave Toys should be arriving today! I hope it lives up to what I’ve been reading, it’s one of the most fascinating Replicade machines I’ve seen -ever! Here’s a sneak peek at the video thumbnail, review hopefully very soon! AI was used for this thumbnail, if you want to see how it was created, check out this video on Leonardo.AI.
- 2024-07-04 – Happy July 4th! Today I’m excited to share an AI tool I’ve been using for several months to create stunning images and video called Leonardo.Ai. In this video, we’ll quickly create our first image, then dive in to some of the more advanced features including creating video from an existing image. Hope you find it helpful!
June
- 2024-06-25 – I’ve started working on my next video. I know content has been a bit slow lately, but there’s a good reason. I recently started a new job that’s taking up a lot of my time, leaving me with fewer hours to dedicate to YouTube. I expect things to balance out in the next couple of weeks. The upcoming video will delve into the world of AI, but with a fresh and unique perspective that we haven’t explored before. I can’t wait to share it with you, once I can get some time in to finish it 🙂
- 2024-06-18 – MageDok sent over their PI-X10 Portable 4K 15.6″ UHD OLED display for review, the image quality looks stunning. Dark colors look dark and not washed out. The colors are crisp and vibrant. I tested it with a laptop, gaming PC and a Raspberry Pi 5 and did notice one minor issue on the Pi5. Check out all the details in the review video.
- 2024-06-15 – I have changed jobs as of June 3rd and now working as a contractor for AtGames. All future AtGames content will include a disclaimer as such. You can read my original community post here.
- 2024-06-11 – I realize it’s been a bit quiet here the past week. There have been some changes lately and I have temporarily halted any new content until I communicate what those changes are. Details forthcoming in the next few days.
- 2024-06-02 – In this video, we’ll setup the MarsKit Raspberry Pi 5 4GB Starter Kit! We’ll setup the kit from unboxing, Assembly and Setup of PiOS Desktop using the included 64GB microSD with PiOS pre-installed.
May
- 2024-05-28 – My Synology NAS has been working flawlessly for about 6 years, until one evening when the power went out and it entered read-only mode. In this video, I’ll explain what happened, how it could have been prevented and what was done to fix it.
- 2024-05-24 – The General Loader is a feature of the AtGames Legends Pinball 4KP that allows running external applications on the machine. In this video and written guide, we’ll step through how to build and deploy applications to the 4KP. For more details, check out the AtGames General Loader Guide.
- 2024-05-20 – A new guide is coming that will demonstrate how you can build custom applications that run on the Legends Pinball 4KP. The written guide is mostly completed, the video companion has been started. Hoping to complete it this week, it should be helpful for 3rd party/community developers that want to bring their own games and apps. to the platform. We’ll also put a little twist on this guide by using AI to create an application. After that, a few product reviews and the VPX Guide, some fun projects that I can’t wait to complete!
- 2024-05-15 – Playing light gun games using the GRS Sinden Target Pro Shotgun on a Raspberry Pi5 is a blast –literally! In this video, we’ll unbox, set it up and check out some games.
- 2024-05-09 – Batocera makes it easy to play retro games on your Raspberry Pi 5! In this video, we’ll fully set it up on a Pi 5, including: writing the image, configuration and light gun setup. While the installation is relatively easy, this video will save hours of time by consolidating common questions in one.
- 2024-05-06 – Today we’ll talk with Anna Lengyel, the Lead Designer at Zen Studios about all the new things coming to the Pinball FX platform. We’ll also get an update on how things are going with the AtGames Legends Pinball 4K!
- 2024-05-05 – Working on two new retro gaming related videos simultaneously. One will include the Raspberry Pi 5, the other will be a new Light Gun that has been released. I can’t wait to complete these projects and show them to you. Stay tuned to the channel!
- 2024-05-01 – We’ll have our 2nd (ever) interview with a surprise guest from Zen Studios in around a week from now. Stay tuned to the channel to see who it is, yes we will be discussing flipper latency on the Legends Pinball 4KP also.
April
- 2024-04-29 – EmuDeck makes it easy to emulate games on your Windows desktop, laptop or handheld PC! EmuDeck is a tool which will download and install various emulators and configure them for us. Learn more here.
- 2024-04-22 – I’m very impressed with the Berzerk X Replicade 1:6th scale arcade cabinet from New Wave Toys! They have managed to incorporate a working coin door (using mini tokens), simulated Berzerk Main Board, replica CRT (using an LCD panel) and much more. Check it out here!
- 2024-04-16 – Going through some personal things as of yesterday. Both the good/bad news is, I may have a bit more time to create new content.
- 2024-04-14 – Coleco has released 3 new table top arcades as part of the revival series. We’ll check out Berzerk, Frenzy and Top Racer as well as replace the board in Berzerk and Frenzy to correct a display issue.
- 2024-04-09 – The400 Mini is a modern recreation of the classic 8-bit home computer from ATARI. It has 25 licensed built-in games, a new Joystick design called THECXSTICK, ability to add your own games and more. Check it out here.
- 2024-04-08 – The next video is completed and will be released tomorrow. It will be a review of the new ATARI 400 Mini and some may find it very interesting. No spoilers, but if you want to check it out before it’s released, see the side-bar at the right 😉
- 2024-04-05 – The next video is off to a good start. I’m about 5 min. into the video editing at this point and do need to record a few more segments. I encountered a few issues during game testing of this new console and verified the issue isn’t in my mind. Hoping to complete it this weekend, but lots of personal stuff to work on (new sink installations, family coming over, etc.) so not sure exactly when it will be done. But, it’s in the oven.
A brief update on the General Loader guide, it’s coming along well and there are a few updates to be made there of some things I needed to explain a bit better. Hoping to complete that within the next two weeks or so along with a companion video. Multitasking isn’t my thing, so I’ve slowed on the PinUP project but hope to pick back up on that very soon. It’s something I personally want to see happen this month, if at all possible. - 2024-04-01 – I’m now a proud owner of a physical pinball machine! I’ve finally caved, check it out here!
March
- 2024-03-31 – I have two guides that I’m working on and hope to release in April, these are:
- General Loader Guide – This guide will demonstrate how to create applications (games, utilities, etc.) and compile/deploy them on the Legends Pinball 4KP. This guide is nearly complete and is undergoing refinements.
- PinUP Popper Baller Installer (VPX) – Setup on the Legends Pinball 4KP over OTG. This guide was just recently started and will continue to improve on it until it is ready. I was awaiting the firmware update for the 4KP to support the Arcade Control Panel. Now that it’s available, we can proceed with this highly anticipated guide.
- 2024-03-25 – A lot of exciting things happened over the weekend. Here’s a quick summary:
- Techmoan Mentioned WTT – Techmoan, a famous content creator located in the UK, mentioned this channel in his recent video on the AtGames Legends Pinball 4KP. He’s an awesome content creator and his review is spot-on. I recommend subscribing and checking out his video! As a result of that mention, many new viewers are finding this channel. I appreciate Techmoan and the new viewers/subscribers! I hope they find a lot of useful information on the Legends Pinball 4KP guide.
- Gottlieb Short Gameplay Videos – 22 short videos for the new Gottlieb tables on the AtGames Legends Pinball 4KP were created and will be available to view on 3/26 here (official release date). I’ll only release one or two of them on 3/26, the last time I released a bunch of shorts at one time it wasn’t well-received. However, even if they aren’t released publicly, you’ll still be able to watch all of them using the links from that page. All were recorded in 4K@60fps.
- Surprise video – A surprise video was completed and will be released next week.
- General Loader Progress – Many aren’t going to be familiar with this yet, but will hear more about it soon. The Legends platform has had a feature for quite sometime to support creating and launching custom applications. These applications can be new community-developed games, applications, etc., copied to a USB stick and run directly on the 4KP. 5 days ago, I released the Virtual Machine Guide as a first step. One of the main reasons for that guide is that in order to create/compile applications that run on the 4KP, you’ll need Ubuntu (Linux). Using Virtual Box (free) + Ubuntu with that guide, you’ll have the main stuff you’ll need to get started. The second part of this project is to show how the code can be generated and build the application in Linux and deploy it to a USB stick. After prepared properly, you can then launch your application on the 4KP! This weekend, I was able to successfully create and deploy my first sample application and run it directly on the 4KP. I’ve started a new guide to walk anyone through doing just that. This guide will take some time, but I think it will be very helpful to the community. Endless possibilities.
- 2024-03-20 – In the Virtual Machine Guide guide, we’ll discuss how to utilize VirtualBox to run Ubuntu directly in Windows 11. VirtualBox is free to download/use and provides many advanced features that make it easy to run many different operating systems on modern hardware.
- 2024-03-19 – The next guide and companion video is coming along well and may be released Thursday or Friday. The topic will be a bit different from most content on the channel, but it’s one that we’ll need covered for an upcoming project. Stay tuned for more.
- 2024-03-16 – I’ve been working on three upcoming guides that I think you’ll find helpful and enjoy. I should have a more substantial update for you in a few days. The guide I’m focusing on now will become the foundation for another project that will soon follow, once I get the other half all figured out. Yet what will be delivered first can stand entirely on its own and opens up a larger world of possibilities. I know it sounds like pie-in-the-sky stuff at this point, but it will all make sense when we talk about it. It might be the kind of thing that makes you go hmmmmmm.
- 2024-03-14 – Added a new section for setting up Recalbox on the AtGames Legends Ultimate Arcade with a Raspberry Pi 5.
- 2024-03-09 – This guide will step you through the installation and setup of Recalbox on your Raspberry Pi 5. Allowing you to enjoy the classic arcade and console games you grew up with.
- 2024-03-07 – In the next video, we’ll return to emulation but this time, on the Raspberry Pi 5. While Pi 5 emulation is still very early in its evolution, there is one option which is reasonably polished. Production has begun on this new video, hoping to have it completed this week. Does this image bring back memories? What’s in this image will be followed-up in a future video, there is indeed more to it than meets the eye.
- 2024-03-01 – Connecting a PC to the AtGames Legends Pinball 4K over OTG (on-the-go) allows you to play hundreds or even thousands of additional pinball tables! In this video, we’ll discuss the PC, what cables are needed, the software configuration, Pinball M/FX installation and much more!
February
- 2024-02-23 – I recently picked up the CyberPowerPC Gamer Xtreme VR Gaming PC for use over OTG (on-the-go) with the Legends Pinball 4K virtual pinball machine. In this video, we’ll quickly unbox it, take a look at the machine, run some benchmarks, set up the displays and play some Zen Studios Pinball FX and Pinball M.
- 2024-02-22 – It’s been a lot of work getting here, but I’d like to share the first version of the Legends Pinball 4K OTG PC Setup Guide. It will be continuously updated/refined and I appreciate corrections/feedback. There will be videos to follow, as they are completed. There is a lot of content on the page and a quick-start section to make it easier to skip over what you already know. Companion videos will be forthcoming, starting with the PC I chose for OTG on the Legends Pinball 4K. Then, PC Setup, Pinball FX/M Setup and on to VPX/Future Pinball. I also want to thank many of you who sent in your PC configuration to help others. I’m hopeful this will become a useful resource going forward.
- 2024-02-14 – I’ve started the initial PC Setup Guide for OTG on the Legends Pinball 4K machines. It’s a bit rough around the edges, needs much more details added, performance benchmark results, etc. but overall it’s coming along well. I will be asking assistance from the community very soon to help fill in some gaps, likely in a few days once I have something worth sharing. I greatly appreciate any input you can provide to help make this guide the best it can be.
- 2024-02-13 – Desktop PC for creation of Legends Pinball 4KP 4K OTG content has arrived. More details about the machine will be forthcoming, after running several benchmark tests and verifying it performs well. As progress is being made on this project, I will update with new information.
- 2024-02-11 – The Divoom Times Gate is an interesting clock and information gadget with 5 independent 128x128p color IPS displays. It can be used to display pixel art, animations, data visualization, social media statistics and much more.
- 2024-02-09 – Revised the SSF Kit installation video, due to a few things: In the original video, step #7 showed the cable installed backwards. It’s not an issue electrically, just the color of the wires. Also, adjusted the step #’s to match the latest install PDF. It’s all minor stuff, but want to make sure this video is 100% accurate.
- 2024-02-01 – The AtGames Legends Pinball SSF Kits will be arriving soon and many are going to be looking for help to get it installed. Help has arrived, you can find all the details in this video: SSF Kit Install for the AtGames Legends 4K or FX Legends Pinball
January
- 2024-01-28 – Multiple updates have been made recently. An Initial Setup video was recently posted here for Legends Pinball 4K series. There have been questions regarding the Legends Pinball 4KP latency (The Addams Family cabinet) and were addressed here. Additionally, the Peanuts’ Snoopy Pinball table (short) video was added here.
- 2024-01-22 – Production of the next video, AtGames Legends Pinball 4K: CE-4K Getting Started Tutorial (Part 2), has started. This next video will focus on your initial setup experience post-assembly of the Legends Pinball 4KP. That is, Navigation, a walk-through of the setup wizard (Network setup, Legends ID creation, etc.), performing the Day-1 update, customizing your machine, etc. and perhaps more. Planning to complete it later this week.
- 2024-01-18 – The AtGames Legends 4KP will be hitting homes very soon. In preparation for this exciting event, a new video has been developed to show you how to assemble your machine. Part 1 will cover the Unboxing and Assembly of the machine and may be found here. Part 2 will cover the Day-1 update, navigation and much more, stay tuned!
- 2024-01-13 – The new AtGames Legends 4KP is preparing for shipment, what’s the question that is on everyone’s mind? Yep, how is the Game Play of the Zen Studios The Addams Family? That question and more answered here.
- 2024-01-07 – The CrowVision (by Elecrow) is an 11.6″ Touch Display panel that can be used with most any single-board computer, such as various Raspberry Pi models, LattePanda, Beaglebone, Jetson Nano and more! This kit is great for use in your own custom projects. Check it out!
- 2024-01-05 – It’s been a few days since my first post of the year, just wanted to update you on a few things. My wife had surgery a few days ago and is recovering well, but once she gets home, she’s my priority. Some of the stuff mentioned here may not see as much attention for the next week until she recovers, we’ll see how things play out. I have two videos currently in-process, one is somewhat Pi5-related and another 4KP related. The Pi5 video is most likely to be next, followed by several 4KP videos and a robotics video. Yes, lots of progress is being made on the 4KP side of things but can’t say much at this point. I won’t be answering questions on exactly what that is, until the video drops, I’ll assist with questions at that point. Stay tuned!
- 2024-01-01 – Yay, 2024 is here and Happy New Year to you and yours! 2023 was a great year of growth for the Wagner’s TechTalk YouTube channel. I’m hopeful that 2024 will be off to a great start as there are a lot of new and exciting things coming this year. My personal goal for 2024 is to reach more viewers, create better content that you want to see and develop new guides that make things easier.
However, let’s first reflect on how things went in 2023 vs. 2022. It’s always a good idea to see what kind of improvements were made based on the prior year. With that, here are a few metrics that you may find interesting:- Video Views were up 28% in 2023 vs 2022 – 1.6M views (2024 goal is 2.2M views)
- Watch Time was up 13% in 2023 vs 2022 – 99k watch hours (2024 goal is 110k watch hours)
- Subscribers increased 5% in 2023 vs 2022 – 8.7k new subscribers (2024 goal is 10k new subscribers)
Yes, I’m making up these goals as I go along. But, let’s check back next year and see if these guesstimates were anywhere close to accurate. You can help make this happen by liking, sharing and subscribing to the channel. But, only do so if I helped you in some small way.
In 2022, subscribers increased by 8.2k, there were over 1.2 million views and 87.2 thousand watch hours. In terms of channel growth, it was over a 30% increase from 2021. Again, thank you and looking forward to what 2024 has in store!